I dont think Bargnani's defense was ever fully in question, i think he's a good defender, his help defense was a bit iffy but vastly improved under DC. I know his defensive "effort" was also suspect before, but i think he also improved on that.

Rebounding was the main thing. But i dont question that anymore. If you're still hung up Bargnani's rebounding ability then you need to switch teams. I've surrendered to the fact that Bargnani will never ever be a double digit rebounder, no matter how many times you nitpick his height, weight and position.

I think Bargnani is poised for a breakout season. He has a slashing, good passing PG to throw him passes while he waits on the perimeter, and 2 defensive big men who can help him cover the paint and pull opposing bigmen inside rather than guard him. I think Lowry and Fields will mesh well with him because these two have played with the two of the league's volume scorers, and they will be able to create and even help create opportunities for Bargnani to score.

I dont think Bargnani's defense was ever fully in question, i think he's a good defender, his help defense was a bit iffy but vastly improved under DC. I know his defensive "effort" was also suspect before, but i think he also improved on that.

Rebounding was the main thing. But i dont question that anymore. If you're still hung up Bargnani's rebounding ability then you need to switch teams. I've surrendered to the fact that Bargnani will never ever be a double digit rebounder, no matter how many times you nitpick his height, weight and position.

I think Bargnani is poised for a breakout season. He has a slashing, good passing PG to throw him passes while he waits on the perimeter, and 2 defensive big men who can help him cover the paint and pull opposing bigmen inside rather than guard him. I think Lowry and Fields will mesh well with him because these two have played with the two of the league's volume scorers, and they will be able to create and even help create opportunities for Bargnani to score.

He will never average double digit rebounds, but he is very CAPABLE of GETTING double digit rebounds at any given night. We saw more of that last season. Especially when shots weren't falling, or he wasn't feeling it offensively, he did other things, more specifically, rebounding.

In my opinion, you must still demand Bargnani to rebound the basketball (I'm not saying that you implied Dwane Casey NOT to demand Bargnani of rebounding) but he's shown his ability to rebound 10+ on any given night.
I think we can all conclude to the fact that he won't necessarily average 10+ rebounds, or be an exceptional rebounder. BUT, when he DOES rebound, and wants to hit the glass, he very well can acquire 10 rebounds. There's no denying his capabilities, nor should we.

No matter how you nitpick his height, weight, and position, you should know with that size, you are very capable of getting rebounds. Whether you can just grab em' or they fall in your hands, etc.
We will say that he can never be a good rebounder, or 10+ rebounder, but we can also say that he is very capable of being a good rebounder, or 10+ rebounder.

That's all on Bargnani. The coaching staff can only do so much for a player on an effort stat. Depends on how much he really wants it.

- Otherwise, I agree with you. Bargnani IS very well poised for a breakout. After a whole entire summer of healing, resting, and working out, the guy should be fully prepared come Training Camp. Him and Lowry will be guys that this team relies on VERY MUCH of the load on both ends of the court.

lol that contract is pretty damn horrible, but not as horrible as the max contract that they gave to Lopez. I mean his contract entitles him $61 million in 4 years. Lopez doesn't play any defense whatsoever. He rebounds just as bad as Bargnani and not to mention he only played 5 games last season due to an ankle injury. You're really gonna give an injured center who doesn't play defense or rebound a four year $61 million contract?

Perhaps we should all appreciate more what Bargs does for what measly 10+ mil?
Lets forget what Bargnani does not do well (Fairly poor rebounder & lousy help defender) & focus on what he does solid:
-20 ppg (give or take);
-Solid 1 on 1 defender;
-Major match-up problem for opposing teams;
-That & a fairly reasonable contract (compare to Hump, Lopez...).
Lastly: lets be optimistic in D Casey ability to get more D out of Bargnani with a full training camp (plus with more KL & less Jose at point - his defensive liabilities will not be as glaring).

Perhaps we should all appreciate more what Bargs does for what measly 10+ mil?
Lets forget what Bargnani does not do well (Fairly poor rebounder & lousy help defender) & focus on what he does solid:
-20 ppg (give or take);
-Solid 1 on 1 defender;
-Major match-up problem for opposing teams;
-That & a fairly reasonable contract (compare to Hump, Lopez...).
Lastly: lets be optimistic in D Casey ability to get more D out of Bargnani with a full training camp (plus with more KL & less Jose at point - his defensive liabilities will not be as glaring).

Not to mention he still has quite a bit of room left for growing. People are looking at all-star for him this year... I can't necessarily say the same for Humphries and Lopez..

not even close. no amount of hype tells me lopez is worth his money. asik' is pretty incredible too. i think bargs is paid fairly and if he does well this year is a bargain.

I suspect the writer of the article was only looking at contracts signed prior to this summer. Bargnani has a reputation in the US media that he's one dimensional and is just fairly mediocre in that one dimension. So he'll get picked on.

I am not a Bargnani fan, but his salary is alright.. I would rather pay him what he is owed then someone like Gallo, Nene or David Lee.

The problem is, Bargnani is constantly expected to live up to his No.1 pick billing. I sure that deep inside he wishes he wasn't picked No.1. It's important to view him as an above average player and nothing more. By the way, his contract is very good.

I dont think Bargnani's defense was ever fully in question, i think he's a good defender, his help defense was a bit iffy but vastly improved under DC. I know his defensive "effort" was also suspect before, but i think he also improved on that.

Rebounding was the main thing. But i dont question that anymore. If you're still hung up Bargnani's rebounding ability then you need to switch teams.

Wait, you roll with GP's pic and use his handle within yours and you think Andreas D wasn't ever in question? He'd showed flashes before last year of decent, not great, one on one D in the post but he's always been a totally clueless help defender. Last year was what? 32 games? c'mon! I get called out on stats all the time cuz I think they aren't used properly but half a lockout year vs 5 years of laughable help D does not a case make. Half of last season was impressive but consistency is key for all players at this level. Andrea still has a lot to show and prove. He's always gonna be suspect until he himsefl proves otherwise over a prolonged period of time.

As for his rebounding, just cuz you've ceded the fact he's a shit rebounder doesn't make the criticism that he's a shit rebounder any less valid.

The problem is, Bargnani is constantly expected to live up to his No.1 pick billing. I sure that deep inside he wishes he wasn't picked No.1. It's important to view him as an above average player and nothing more. By the way, his contract is very good.

I'm sure every time he got a paycheck before the extension you were wrong on this point.

Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick back in 2006, has always had the reputation of being a versatile scoring threat. At 7-foot, 256-pound, Bargnani has proven himself as a post up player as well as a spot up guy, averaging 15.4 points through his first six seasons in the NBA.

What Bargnani had never been is much of a rebounder or defender, and while he was the league's worst rebounding center in terms of total rebound rate (percentage of total rebounds grabbed by a player during his time on the court) for the second-straight season, his defense improved dramatically in his first season under coach Dwayne Casey.

Casey is known for his emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, and it's remarkable how much it helped Bargnani in the 33 games he played last season. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Bargnani's defensive points per play of 0.679 ranked him No. 27 in the league. Synergy shows that the Italian big man defended particularly well against the pick and roll, and against both the post up and spot up situations. He ranked out better than at least 88 percent of the NBA's player in all three of those categories.

It will be interesting to see if that continues through this season, and how Bargnani's defensive responsibilities will shift with highly regarded rookie Jonas Valanciunas set to enter the rotation.